


. . . And Boys Are from Mars

by Karasuno Volleygays (ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor)



Series: UshiOi Month [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Pro volleyball au, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 06:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19717882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor/pseuds/Karasuno%20Volleygays
Summary: Ushijima learned how to waste a little bit of time, Oikawa Tooru style. He never thought he would like it so much.





	. . . And Boys Are from Mars

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for UshiOi month Day 5: roommates.

The chipper sound of fantasy weapons floated across the hotel room, drawing Ushijima’s attention right away. He closed his book — a well worn volume of his favorite manga — and peeked over Oikawa’s shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Ushijima squinted at the laptop screen to take in the swath of spaceships blowing each other to bits. “Are those aliens?”

“Shhh!” Oikawa hunched over the monitor and moved his fingers with all the dexterity of the professional volleyball player he was. “I’m trying to crack the battle front, but these stupid space worm things won’t die.”

“All right,” Ushijima mumbled. He knew what all of those words meant, but definitely not in that order. “Sorry to bother you.”

With that, Oikawa was once again completely under the spell of his computer game, and Ushijima still had no idea what it was actually about. 

That didn’t mean he didn’t plan on finding out.

Pulling out his own laptop, he did a search on all the keywords Oikawa had used, and the top result was a game called  _ Space Lord IV: End of Days _ . A rather melodramatic name, he thought, but the art styling and character design were pleasing. 

With a few more clicks, he found the best deal on picking up the game and got to work learning what a Space Lord is supposed to be.

It was well past midnight and Ushijima’s eyes were burning by the time he closed the lid on his laptop. Oikawa was sleeping face-down with his laptop still open in front of him. The sight made Ushijima chuckle while he carefully tugged it away and stowed it.

When their alarm went off at six in the morning, both of them groaned in displeasure at the sound. Ushijima tugged his pillow over his head, and when that didn’t work to block out the noise, he threw a pillow at the alarm clock clamoring on the nightstand.

“Make me stop staying up late,” Oikawa groaned, slipping out of bed and starting his usual zombie-like trek to the coffee machine. He itched his belly and turned to Ushijima with a yawn. “Aren’t you usually disgustingly energetic in the mornings?”

Ushijima’s cheeks warmed. Oikawa was definitely correct that he was usually up and about, ready to run a few laps around the block by this time. That day, though, was full of bleary eyes and unsubtle yawns. They both had warm ups in two hours to prepare for their big double-header visit to Okinawa, with them slated for the first match of the day.

At that thought, Ushijima fished out a disposable cup from the cabinet in the hotel room and poured himself some coffee. He hated coffee, but if one is looking to be alert in no time flat, it did the job.

Oikawa stared at him wide-eyed. “You’re drinking coffee? You never drink coffee. You hate it. You make faces when you even smell it.”

Opening his mouth to answer, Ushijima’s response came out in the form of a yawn and he shrugged. “Tired.”

“If you were remotely normal at all, I’d say you stayed up all night doing something, but you go to bed earlier than the average grandpa.” Oikawa was instantly alert, skulking in circles around Ushijima like he were a puzzle rather than a roommate. “You did! You stayed up late.”

Sighing, Ushijima nodded. “I found a new hobby, and how do you know that?”

“Oh?” Oikawa perked up at the prospect of teasing Ushijima about even more things, but instead, he scratched at his chin in what Ushijima assumed to be an effort to look thoughtful. “First of all, you didn’t try to wake me up ten minutes before the alarm. Second, you’re wearing the same clothes you were yesterday instead of pajamas. Also, your hair looks insane.”

Ushijima’s hands darted up to pat down the bedhead he hadn’t even noticed. It’s a strange day when he was more unkempt than Oikawa, who regularly got out of bed looking like he had a bad encounter with the business end of a light socket.

Oikawa chuckled and waved a hand. “Oh, don’t be shy. It’s good to see you do normal stuff like stay up too late. Makes it seem like you’re not an alien.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

  
  


Later that night, more tired than he had ever been in his life, Ushijima dropped face-first onto his bed. However, Oikawa was out the moment his body touched the bed, and Ushijima wasn’t far behind. 

That did not negate Ushijima’s usual routine, and at five in the morning, he found himself awake once again full of energy. They didn’t have to leave for their next match until ten. He could go for a run, do some exercises, or get back to his book. 

He did none of that. Instead, he pulled out his laptop and forged on ahead through his newest enthusiasm. Time sped by at a rapid pace — which Ushijima did not realize until a chin propped itself onto his shoulder. “This level is hard.” 

Ushijima nodded but never let his concentration slip. “I’m almost at the battle front, but the marauders are everywhere.”

Oikawa chuckled and clapped him on the back. “You’ll figure it out. I suggest you do it later, though, unless you want to walk to Tokyo.”

His eyes widened when he noticed the time. They were leaving in twenty minutes, and he had yet to shower or pack or eat or even brush his teeth. It was an unfamiliar sensation, rushing around in the morning. He was well acquainted with a sense of urgency, but as motivation rather than necessity.

Despite the time crunch, he was ready and wheeling his suitcase behind him right when it was time to board the bus. 

After they were on the road, Oikawa slipped into the seat next to him and leaned close enough to read the manga Ushijima was perusing. “I thought you said video games were a waste of time.” 

“They really are,” Ushijima murmured, turning the page, “but sometimes, it’s good to waste a little bit of time, isn’t it?”

Oikawa feigned shock and tugged the book a little bit closer to himself. “So Klaatu is human after all.”

Ushijima’s brow knit. “I don’t know what that means.”

Scooting closer, Oikawa beamed at him. “It means you’re more regular guy than robot. I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Now let me see more of the book. I haven’t read shounen since I was ten.”

Ushijima complied, and the road trip seemed a little bit shorter with a friend to pass the time.

It was afternoon when they arrived at their new destination, and practice took place business as usual. An entire day of inactivity left Ushijima with an abundance of energy, and when his usual bedtime rolled around, he couldn’t sleep once again.

Oikawa was plugging away at his own game, and Ushijima motioned to do the same before Oikawa waved him off. “Don’t start yet.”

“What? Why would you —” Ushijima didn’t get a chance to finish his question, cut off by Oikawa holding up a finger to indicate silence.

“I’m hitting a save point,” Oikawa mumbled, eyes still glued to the screen, “and we’re going to start a new game.” 

Ushijima frowned. “But you’re already so far into it. Why would you want to start over?”

Finishing up and saving, Oikawa sighed and closed his eyes. “Maybe because then we could play together.”

“Oh.” The statement started to sink in, and Ushijima realized what Oikawa really meant. “I thought you said I was too boring to do stuff with.”

With a dismissive flip of the hand, Oikawa stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at him. “Boring people don’t want to try new things. Plus, Oikawa-san needs to show you rookies how the game should be played.”

“I’m not calling you Oikawa-san.” 

“Fine, then Oikawa-sama will do. Now, go to the main menu.” 

Doing just that, Ushijima ignored Oikawa’s idle teasing and selected the multiplayer mode. The screen instructed him to provide a Gamer ID or to search for ready partners. He was about to ask Oikawa what his Gamer ID was before Oikawa beat him to it.

“I’m PlantMan15,” Ushijima offered, earning himself a chortle from Oikawa. “What’s wrong with that?”

Oikawa shook his head. “Oh, nothing. It just seems like something you would pick. Now, are you ready to kick some alien butt?”

Ushijima quirked a brow. “We’re in space ships. We’re not kicking anybody, unless there’s some level or mode I don’t know about.”

Throwing back his head to laugh, Oikawa dashed a tear from his eye and sighed. “This should be an interesting couple of hours.”

‘Couple of hours’ didn’t quite cover it, with them not stopping until the wee hours of the morning commanded they get at least a little sleep, but Ushijima didn’t regret it for a minute. 

For years, he and Oikawa had been at odds in almost every way except their drive to be the best volleyball players they could be. At last, there was something easy, something lacking in urgency he could share with the person he arguably spent more time with than anyone. The best part was that Oikawa seemed into the idea, as well.

Friendships were a rocky road for someone like Ushijima Wakatoshi, but the start of this one looked promising indeed.


End file.
